Customer Service

Last week, my brother-in-law spoke at the Hagerstown Rotary Club meeting. His topic was "Business Policy is Personal. " Although I did not hear his presentation, I asked for a copy of his talking points so that I might incorporate some of his thoughts in this column. His opening for the presentation went something like this: "Business policy is personal because policy affects many people at many levels within and outside the organization; for example, leaders, managers, employees, customers, partners, competitors and such.

ANNAPOLIS - The Maryland Department of Agriculture recognized three employees for their outstanding innovation, leadership and customer service contributions. The awards were presented May 12. Among those honored was Diana Mullenix of Falling Waters, W.Va., who is the front office manager at the Frederick (Md.) Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory. She received a customer service award. Mullenix is a key to the lab's mission of diagnosing and assisting in the control and eradication of animal and zoonotic diseases through her recordkeeping, management and interaction with everyone from producers, veterinarians, government colleagues, and everyone who has interacted with the lab for 25 years.

Office manager says sweet talk is key to customer service MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - As office manager for the Martinsburg Mall, Karen Armbrester doesn't spend as much time behind the customer service counter as she used to, but shoppers and mall walkers still stop by. They knock on the glass window to the mall office as they walk by or pop their head in the door to say hello, said Armbrester, 47, of Hedgesville, W.Va. "I love people. I'm a people person," said Armbrester, who worked at Jane's House of Hair in Hedgesville for 24 years.

WAYNESBORO, PA. -- Christine Sanbower is a woman in charge of a mail-dominated agency in Waynesboro. Sanbower became her hometown's postmaster in mid-July. She juggled several tasks on a hectic, recent morning, helping customers and employees as the phone rang almost constantly. Despite the organized chaos, Sanbower is thrilled to be working in Waynesboro again at a post office with which she's very familiar. "The same carrier who delivered my mom's mail probably still does," she said.

HAGERSTOWN -- Grocery-bagging contests can be menacing. Just ask Brendan Creegan, an 18-year-old bagger at the Martin's Food Market on Pennsylvania Avenue in Hagerstown. "The other baggers can be intimidating," he said. "You don't know what they're going to say. They can taunt you. " Creegan competed with nine other baggers from the Tri-State area Friday in the fifth annual Martin's Best Bagger Competition at the grocery chain's store on Wesel Boulevard. He said the trick to bagging is to make sure the weight of the groceries gets distributed evenly in the bag. "You have to watch how you bag it or the bag is going to break," Creegan said.

The 470 poker, blackjack and craps dealers at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races have become so adept at their table games that they are making it look easy, according to casino General Manager Al Britton. "It was incredible how quickly they've taken to it," Britton said Friday. "They've not only learned the technical part, but the customer service that dealers need to entertain their customers. It's not an easy thing to learn for someone with no experience. They were dealing like experts after just two to three months.

With an eye toward better customer service, the Hagerstown Post Office on Franklin Street has extended hours on weekdays and Saturday. Under the new hours, which went into effect Monday, customer service windows in the main lobby will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to Tammara Illig, supervisor of customer service. The two additional hours each day will enable the post office to better serve commuters and others, Illig said. Saturday hours are now 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., an increase of three hours in the afternoon.

Service call answered on other side of world By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI kimy@herald-mail.com When Fay Shaffer called a customer service number about her Montgomery Wards credit card recently she never expected the phone to ring halfway around the world. continued Shaffer, of Hagerstown, said she called the toll-free number for the now-defunct department store in October to settle some confusion about a service charge and learned that the customer service center was in Bombay.

Allegheny Power has launched a new customer service hotline good for all its customers in five states. Customers can now call 1-800-ALLEGHENY 24 hours a day with any question about service. Spokeswoman Midge Teahan said the company decided to merge its customer service operations after merging with two subsidiaries in September. "We felt strongly that the best way to serve our customers was to have a centralized location," she said. "We took three centers and turned it into one state-of-the-art center.

One man's beef - Where's the service? By DICK FLEMING We stood looking silently at one another, locked in an uncomfortable gaze. I sensed each of us was waiting for the other to speak. It felt awkward, and I worried that her anticipation seemed less eager than my own. Finally, I decided to make the first move. I swallowed hard, and popped the question. "Are you ready to wait on me now?" Such is the heartbreaking state of affairs with customer service in a job market where pretty much everybody who wants to work does, but too many workers give the impression of being mired in cheerless tasks.

A water-main break off Blairton Road early Friday left about 40 Berkeley County water customers without service for several hours, according to a water district official. The service break in the 8-inch plastic line along Mercedes Drive damaged about 200 feet of the road, said Paul Fisher, executive director of the county Public Service Water District. Water service was turned off about 5:30 a.m., until short-term repair was completed Friday afternoon, Fisher said. Hundreds of feet of water line - from Blairton Road to a second cul-de-sac in the residential development served by Mercedes Drive - will be replaced with ductile iron pipe by water district workers, he said.

About 5,000 Frontier Communications customers in Jefferson County, W.Va., lost service Sunday when a fiber line broke, officials said. Frontier Communications spokesman Dan Page said the line broke in the Harpers Ferry, W.Va., area but it is not clear what caused the break, which disrupted telephone and Internet service. Crews started working on the problem early Sunday and service was restored around mid-afternoon, officials said. A Jefferson County 911 spokesman said customers in Charles Town, Shepherdstown, Harpers Ferry and Bakerton, W.Va., were affected by the service disruption.

Name of business: Appleman Grille Owner: Felicia McDonald Address: 8488 Winchester Ave., Inwood, W.Va. Opening date: January 2013 Products and services: Crab cakes, steamed shrimp, boardwalk fries and homemade food Target market: Anyone who wants to try something different How did you get into your business, and what motivated you to start it? It was always a dream of my dad's to open up a restaurant, but he died not long after retiring from the Maryland State Police.

The clothes Abraham Lincoln wore to Ford's Theater, the flag on Iwo Jima, Stonewall Jackson's uniform, pre-Columbian textiles and hundreds more artifacts like them have been spread across tables in a small shop in Ranson. Cathy Heffner came on board in 1989 and bought the business from Thomsen in 2007. A 1976 graduate of Brunswick (Md.) High School, Heffner's participation in a work-study program in National Park Service conservation labs during her senior year led to a full-time job as a textile conservator with the agency.

ThompsonGas recentlly announced the acquisition of a Virginia propane business that will increase its annual capacity by approximately 1.5 million gallons. The Hagerstown propane service provider purchased the assets of Campbell's Bottled Gas Inc. and Campbell EasiGas Inc. of Manassas, Va., the company said in a news release last week. It was the 26th acquisition by ThompsonGas since it was founded in 1946 in Boonsboro, the release said. The Campbell companies serve approximately 1,350 bulk customers with 2,000 propane cylinder racks dispensing 20-pound grill cylinders, President J. Randall Thompson said in a May 6 email.

The Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission will host farmers market workshops from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 13, at the Washington County Agriculture Education Center front conference room. This free workshop is open to new vendors interested in learning how they can market and sell their items at Washington County farmers markets during the 2013 season. Presentations by Leslie Hart, Washington County agricultural business development specialist, will cover topics including farmers market etiquette, customer service, up selling and merchandising.

As a teacher, I have had to deal with parents who feel their children have been slighted in some way. It is my goal to treat every concern as if it is legitimate. Sometimes parents just need someone to vent to, and a teacher seems like a logical choice. Think about it. Few people spend more time with a child or a teen than the teachers who instruct him or her on a daily basis. There are perhaps some days that I spend more time with my students than their parents do. Hopefully, I am getting to know these young people and can sense if something is wrong.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Washington County Business Awards. The program, a joint project of the county's Economic Development Commission and the Chamber of Commerce, has celebrated excellence in our business community for the past 14 years, and this year's program found new reasons to carry on that tradition. Recognized annually at an “Academy Awards-style” program, winners in seven categories show off the successes and achievements of companies across the county.

Meritus Health The American Diabetes Association Education recently awarded its recognition certificate to the Meritus Endocrine, Nutrition and Diabetes Education, or MEND, program for the quality of its diabetes self-management education program. The association's recognition means educational programs meet the national standards for diabetes self-management education programs, which the ADA believes is essential to effective diabetes treatment. The MEND Center offers the full continuum of care for people with endocrine disorders, including prevention, community education, nutrition counseling and medical care.

The Greater Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce in early December will offer “Understanding People's Behavior,” a breakfast seminar focused on customer service. Led by Dick Marks, developer of relational skills series “The Friendliest Place in Town,” the seminar will be from 8 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, in the chamber office, 5 Roadside Ave. The seminar will help those who attend develop their ability to recognize strengths and weaknesses in themselves and others; improve their rapport with others; and improve their self-confidence in relationships, according to a news release.